Lighting fixture



p 1968 H. A .1. DE vos 3,403,250

" LIGHTING FIXTURE Filed Nov. 18, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l' HE'NDRIK A.J. de VOS IN VEN TOR.

' ATTORNEY H. A. J. DE VOS LIGHTING FIXTURE Sept. 24, 1968 Filed Nov. 18, L965 2 Sheets-Shet 2 HENDR IK A.-J.de vos INVENTOR.

BYMWZM ATTORNEY United States Patent 0,

3,403,250 LIGHTING FIXTURE Hendrik A. J. de Vos, Wenham, Mass., assignor to Sylvania Electric Products Inc., a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 18, 1965, Ser. No. 508,453 1 Claim. (Cl. 240-52) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A lighting fixture for adjustable attachment to a pole, the fixture having an extruded arm extending from the lamp and a refractor to an adjustable mounting plate on the pole. The adjustment can be made by an arm having a handle.

This invention relates to lighting fixtures and more particularly to outdoor fixtures mountable on poles or other structures.

Outdoor lighting fixtures mounted on poles, building walls or other structures are widely employed for illuminating highways, parking areas, and the like. It is increasingly important that these fixtures be esthetically appealing yet functionally suited to easy installation and maintenance. Moreover, with the increasing use of outdoor lighting, it is important to have a variety of fixture sizes to suit particular installation requirements. Present fixtures, because of their construction, are available in only a few sizes and are too expensive to fabricate in additional sizes. Furthermore, many of them are unsightly in appearance and awkward to install and maintain in operation.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an outdoor lighting fixture which lends itself to inexpensive fabrication in almost any practical size and which also provides ease of installation and maintenance as well as attractive appearance.

Briefly, the invention comprises a fixture having an adjustable mounting plate to facilitate alignment of the fixture during installation, and an extruded arm extending outwardly therefrom to secure the lamp assembly. Because of the extruded construction, the fixture arm can be fabricated to any length to suit the particular application, thereby alfording a great number of fixture sizes not economically feasible with conventional units having cast or stamped structures. Moreover, the lamp ballast, electrical connectors and other electrical equipment are mounted within the extruded arm on a removable cover to achieve a clean esthetic look, yet providing easy access to the equipment for repair and installation.

The invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation view of a lighting fixture according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a pictorial view of the cam assembly taken along lines 2-2 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the mounting plate, taken along lines 33 of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are elevation views, partly cut away, of the mounting plate in two positions of alignment; and

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the fixture arm, taken along lines 6-6 of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a fixture including an adjustable mounting plate 10 attached to a supporting structure such as a pole 12, and an elongated arm 14 secured at one end to plate 10, and supporting at its distal end a lamp assembly 16. The distal end 18 of the elongated arm is bent with respect to the remainder of the arm to support the lamp assembly in a horizontal position which is determined by the adjustable mounting plate, in a manner to be explained. A photoelectric sensor 20 is 3,403,250 Patented Sept. 24, 1968 also attached to this end of the arm and is operative to switch on the lamp when the ambient light intensity falls below a predetermined level.

The lamp ballast and other electrical apparatus is mounted within arm 14 near the mounting plate on a removable cover 22 which is hinged to the arm at the end nearest the lamp assembly and secured to the mounting plate by a thumbscrew 23 or other suitable fastener which screws into a threaded hole 25 provided in plate 10 (FIG. 4). The relatively heavy ballast is preferably mounted as near to mounting plate 10 as feasible to reduce the mechanical loading on arm 14. The cover hinge 15 is fitted with a spring which is operative to prevent the cover from swinging beyond a fixed position to thereby prevent damage to the lamp assembly on shorter fixture arms if the cover, with the heavy ballast attached thereto, is accidentally dropped while being opened. This spring can either be integral with the hinge or can be separate therefrom. For reasons of safety, the cover is provided with an electrical disconnect to tie-energize the supply voltage when the cover is opened. Repair to the electrical apparatus can, therefore, be readily made in safety by opening the cover to expose the apparatus. If extensive repairs are required, or if it is desired to replace the ballast or other equipment, the cover containing this equipment is easily removed and another replaced in its stead without disturbing the fixture alignment. Such replacement is facilitated by a demountable hinge of Well known type which allows simple removal of cover 22 from arm 14. Repair and replacement of the ballast and related equipment is accomplished in a manner not possible with conventional fixture designs wherein the ballast is bolted to the mounting plate or contained within the lamp assembly. In these conventional designs the fixture must be disassembled at least partially to gain access to the ballast. The present design, as described hereinabove, provides quick access to the ballast merely by opening cover 22; the fixture itself remaining undisturbed and in alignment.

To expedite alignment of the fixture during installation, a leveling adjustment is provided in mounting plate 10 comprising a cylindrical cam 28 and a lever 30 integral therewith, together with a curved surface 32 on the side of the mounting plate abutting the supporting pole. As best seen in FIG. 2, moving lever 30 about the cylindrical axis of the cam causes the cam to move axially. The camming surface 34 is ridged, as is the mating surface of the mounting plate, so that at any given setting the cam will not slip. To install the fixture, it is first loosely attached to the pole via a bolt 36 which passes through an opening provided for the purpose in mounting plate 10 as seen in FIG. 3. The horizontal alignment of the lamp assembly is easily adjusted by moving lever 30 and hence cam 28 to the desired location thereby causing mounting plate 10 to roll on its curved surface 32 to accommodate itself to the spacing set by the cam. The horizontal alignment of end portion 18 of arm 14 is thereby adjusted by the disposition of mounting plate 10 relative to the mounting structure. A second bolt 38 is then inserted through a cylindrical opening in cam 28 and fastened to the pole to complete the assembly. FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate the mounting plate in two different positions, in FIG. 4 the cam is in its closed position causing the plate to lie directly against the mounting pole, while in FIG. 5 the cam is extended thereby moving the bottom portion of plate 10 away from the pole and the top portion towards the pole. In this manner, the fixture arm is caused to swing in an arc to ascertain the required aligned position.

An additional'feature of this fixture is the use of an extruded arm of propitious cross-section to support the lamp assembly. By use of the extruding process, the arm can be made to any desired length without the necessity of costly casting molds or stamping dies such as used to manufacture conventional fixtures. The extruded arm is of generally rectangular shape and can be fabricated in either a single piece or in two mating sections such as illustrated in FIG. 6. As seen in FIG. 6, the arm is composed of a first U-shaped member 40 having a channel 42 on each edge to accept a corresponding tongue 44 on a second U-shaped member 46. Projections 48, 49 and 50 provide mechanical rigidity and added strength to the arm. The rectangular channel, formed by one side of member 40 and projections 56 and 55, is designed to accept flange 58 to secure the arm to mounting plate 10, and also provides mounting space for the electrical equipment so that no hardware need show exterior of the fixture arm. In this manner, the clean aspect of the fixture is not marred by unsightly protuberances.

To fabricate the arm, an extruded member 40 of the required length is assembled with mating member 46 and the assembled arm is bent on one end to provide for horizontal mounting of the lamp assembly. The arm is then attached to mounting plate 10 by means of flange 58 and bolt 36 and is ready for installation and alignment as described hereinbefore.

From the foregoing, it is evident that a lighting fixture has been provided which is easily installed and maintained, which has an attractive appearance and which can be economically fabricated in a great variety of sizes. The invention is not to be limited by what has been particularly shown and described, except as indicated in the appended claim.

I claim:

1. In a lighting fixture including an elongated arm supporting a lamp assembly, a mounting plate operative to adjustably attach the fixture to a supporting structure and comprising, a member having a convex surface to abut a supporting structure, first and second mounting holes, a cylindrical ca-m surrounding the second mounting hole with its camming surface mating with an inner surface of said member, a lever attached to said cam and movable about the axis thereof to cause axial movement of the cam and thereby adjust the position of said member with respect to said supporting structure, and a fastener located in said second mounting hole for securing said member to said structure in the adjusted position.

References Cited NORTON ANSHER,

JOSEPH F. PETERS, JR., Assistant Examiner.

Primary Examiner. 

